Condenser



(No Model.)

W. CRAIG.

GONDBNSER.

No. 365,119. Patented June 21, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENTv OFFICE.

VILLIAM CRAIG, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

CONDENSER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 365,119, dated June 21,1887.

Application filed April 7, 1887.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLLIM CRAIG, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kingsand State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inGondensers, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

My invention is more particularly intended to be applied to thesuction-pipes of pumps, so that the water which supplies the pump willbe made effective in condensing the steam employed to drive thepump-operating engine; but the invention is also applicable to condensers employed Yfor steanrengines, vacuumpans, and other purposes.

The condenser which forms the subject of my invention comprises a bodymade in a suitable casting and an upper chamber which has inlets forsteam and water, and which communicates by a throat with the body, andin the throat is arranged a valve which controls the ilow of water intothe body of the condenser, and is connected with a iloat for varying theinflow of water, according as the level of water in the condenser risesor falls.

In order that the water entering the body of the condenser shall not inits fall disturb the float, I provide a pipe or passage which leadsdownward from the throat to or slightly below the level of water in thebody, and the iloat is arranged laterally beyond this pipe or passageand is, in preference, made of annular form, loosely surrounding but notfitting the exterior of the pipe or passage. The 'loat may be connectedwith a guiding frame or spider, which is arranged below the end of thedownwardly-extending pipe or passage, and is connected by a rod with thevalve in the throat; and opposite the valve in the throat I preferablyarrange a second valve, which may be adjusted upward or downward by handfrom the exterior of the condenser.

Vhen the condenser is employed in connection with a steam-pump, thevalve which controls the ilow of water through the throat into the bodyof the condenser' may be connected in any convenient manner with thethrottle-valve, whereby the supply of steam to the direct-acting orother engine which opcrates the pump may be controlled, and both thesevalves may be connected with and operated simultaneously bythe doet.Indeed,

Serial No. 233,978. (No model.)

if the condenser be employed in connection with an engine used for powerpurposes other than operating a pump-piston, the fioat may be dispensedwith and the connections between the valve which controls the lflow ofwater through-the throat of the condenser andthe th rottle-val ve, orother analogous device, which controls the supply of steam to theengine,will insure the simultaneous adjustment of said watercontrollingvalve and throttle-valve or device to correspondingly increase ordiminish the flow of water and supply of steam.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I represents a vertical section ofa condenser embodying my invention, including a throttlevalve,which isconnected with the iloat, and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section upon aboutthe plane indicated by the dotted line v a', Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in bothiigures.

A designates the body of the condenser, which may be of cast metal, andwhich has at the bottom an outlet, A', through which it is connectedwith the suction-pipe of thc pump. The casing or body A is surmountcd bya head, A?, having cored within it a chamber, A. XVith the chamber Acommunicates an inlet, A", for the portion of the suction-pipe whichextends to the condenser. In this exv ample of my invention the inlet orbranchA for connection with the suction-pipc is formed upon the body A,and the port or passage b, leading therefrom to the chamber A3,constitutes a water-inlet to such upper chamber.

A5 designates the steam-inlet, and, as here represented, I have showntwo branches or inlets, A, at right angles to each other, so that thesteam-pipe, whatever be the direction from which it leads to thecondenser, may be conveniently connected therewith. The upper chamber,A, communicates with the body A of the condenser by a throat, b', inwhich I have represented a ring-shaped valve, B, and directly oppositethis valve and throat, and in the steam-inlet, I have represented asecond ring-shaped valve, O. From thethroat b a pi pe or passage, D,extends downward into the body of the condenser, and terminates atitslower end at about the level of or slightly below the water in thecondenser. This pipe or passage D is here represented as made sep aratefrom the head A2 and as securedthereto by boltsb2, it being fixedinposition. The steam entering at A5 passes downwardthrongh the throat band t-hrough the pipe orpassage D, and the water for condensing thesteam flows laterally inward over the edge of the valve B and throughthe space c provided between the two valves B C. It will therefore beseen that any rising movement of thevalve B will diminish the flow ofwater through the throat b into the body of the condenser.

E designates the float,which is arranged laterally beyond the pipe orpassage. D, and which, as here shown, is of annular form, looselysurrounding the pipe or passage, but not in any sense fitting thereon.Inasmuch as the pipe or passage D extends below thel normal position ofthe float, which is at the water-level, the water flowing through thepipe or passage D will not materially disturb the float.

As here represented, the iioat is connected with a guiding frame orspider, vE', which may rest upon a ledge or shoulder, e, projectinginward from the body of the condenser, and which has upwardly-extendingarms e' connected with the float-in this example of my invention bybands c2 embracing the float. I have here employed four bands for thispurpose, as best shown in Fig. 2; but the number is immaterial. Theguiding frame or spider E is connected by a rod, E, with the valve B,and it will thereby be understood that any rising or falling movement ofthe iioat E will correspondingly affect the valve B.

In this example of myinvention the valve C is. operated by a tubularstem, C', which ex tends through a stuitingbox, c', in the top of thecondenser, and is provided with ahandwheel, ci, whereby it may beturned; and I have also shown the rod E2 as extending above the valve B,through the tubular stem O', and through the stufling-box c3 at the topthereof, and connected with the lever E3, which is ful; crumed at e.

F designates a throttle-valve which is arranged in a section of pipe,F', and this pipe may be supposed to be the steam-pipe through whichsteam is supplied to the pump-operatingv or other engine in connectionwith which thecondenser is used. The lever Eil is con'- nected by a rod,et, with the arm c5 on the valve F, and it will therefore be understoodthat any rising or falling movement of the iioat B will not onlydiminish or increase the iow oi' water through the throat b into thecondenserbody, but will also diminish or increase the iow of steamthrough the valve F to operate the engine. l Y

When the condenser is employed in connection with an ordinarysteam-engine usedfor power purposes, the float may be dispensed with,the rod E2 being in such case only'employed toy connect the valve B andlever E3, and the throttle-valve F, or a governor, or a movable part ofan automatic cut-off, constitutes a device whereby the supply of steamfor operating the engine is controlled.' The valve B and thesteam-controlling device are n by the lever Es and rod E2 so connectedthat they may be shifted simultaneously to correspondinglyincrease ordiminish the supply of steam to the engine and the supply of waterpassing through thc throat b for condensing such steam.

The valve C may be set so as to admit substantially the ilow desiredthrough the space c, and the valve B will vary the flow as the supply ofsteam may be increased orY diminished.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. The combination, with acondenser-body and an upper chamber havinginlets for steam and water and communicating by a throat 'with the body,of a valve in said throat, a pipe or passage leading downward from thethroat and xedvin position within the body, a float arranged laterallybeyond the pipe or passage, and connections between said valve andfloat, substantially as herein described. v

2. The combination, with a condenser-body and an upper chamber havinginlets for steam and water and communicating by a throat with the body,of a valve in the throat, a pipe or passage extending downward from thethroat, an annular float loosely surrounding but not fitting the pipe orpassage, and connections between the float and said valve, substantiallyas herein described.

3. The combination, with the body A and the upper chamber having inletsfor steam and water and communicating by a throat, b', with the body,ofthe valve B in the throat, the pipe or passage D, the annular iioat E,loosely surrounding the pipe or passage, the. guiding frame or spiderE', connected with the float, and the rod E2, connecting said frame orspider with said valve, substantially as herein described.

4. The combination, with a condenser-body andan upper chamber havingsteam and water inlets and communicating by a throat, b', with the body,of a valve in said throat and a' throttle-valve for controlling thesupply of steam for operating a pump, a iioat arranged within thecondenser-body, and connections between the lOO IIO

float and said twovalves whereby the rising movement of the iloat willdiminish the iiow IZO Stem C to the valve-operating lever E,snbcontrolling device whereby the valve B and sbantially as hereindescribed. sind device will be operated simultaneously to 6. Thecombination, With a condensenbody correspondingly increase or diminishthe supand an upper chamberhavingsteam and water ply of water throughthe throat; and the sup- 5 inlets and communicating byathrozrt'with theply of steam for operating the engine, snb- 15 body, of 2L valve, B, forcontrolling the flow of stantially :is herein described.

Water through the throat, :L device for oon- VILLIAM CRAIG. trolling thesupply of steam to an engine in lVibnesses: connection with which thecondenser is used, C. HALL,

ro and connections between the valve B and said FREDK. HAYNES.

